Mithoff deserves another chance for posterity

Dual-track approach makes sense

The Mithoff building has been an anchor in downtown Lancaster for one and a half centuries.

The question is whether it's an anchor that will drag down economic growth downtown or whether it can be the cornerstone to a rebirth of the city center.

The debate on the future of the Mithoff building has intensified after the city of Lancaster received the go-ahead to use $345,000 of grant money to fund the demolition of the building. The city would like to use the lot for parking and green space. The city bought the vacant building from an out-of-town investor in 2008 for $205,000 with the hopes of flipping it to a local developer.

Preservationists think there is more value in rehabilitating the building and turning it into a mixed-use space for retail and apartments. They point to other successful rehab projects such as the Historic Mercantile Lofts in downtown Hamilton.

The fate of the demolition request is in the hands of the Lancaster City Council, and then it will go to the Lancaster Historic Commission for approval. The Fairfield Heritage Association and the Lancaster Special Improvement District have stated they would like a two-track approach that will give time for the organizations to find a developer to save the building and if that fails, to offer it up for demolition.

We hope the city takes two-track approach. Part of the value of living in Lancaster is that it truly isn't just a suburb of Columbus. It has its own identity - and the downtown is one of the most important parts of that identity. If this building can be restored, it helps strengthen the uniqueness of what makes Lancaster great. This community takes great pride in its history. Just look back a couple years to the $100,000+ donations that were made to restore the old grandstand at the Fairgrounds. It's worth giving restoration one more shot - because once the building is gone, it's gone.

The city bought this property at the start of the recession. Officials were excited about the prospects of the city, and Mayor Dave Smith proclaimed, "It's one of the greatest stories of downtown restoration in Lancaster History." But the past five years hasn't seen money pouring in for commercial real estate investment - especially in downtown.

That initial excitement has waned, and the city hasn't exactly hit the streets trying to market the property. The city has never created a Request For Proposal to inform potential developers of its interest in selling the property and the conditions under which the city will sell the building. The Mithoff isn't even included in the site and building listings on the city's economic development website. If the city truly does want to see that "great story of downtown restoration" come true, it needs to work with these other groups to truly market this building before they exhaust hope.

If at the end of the day, the investments and tax credits aren't there to rehab this building, then the city should use this grant so this important downtown space can be used for something else.

Although it currently is an eyesore, the Mithoff could turn out to be the stone that the builders refused that became the head cornerstone of downtown Lancaster.

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Mithoff deserves another chance for posterity

The Mithoff building has been an anchor in downtown Lancaster for one and a half centuries.